People have been so kind and generous to me during my illness, that I am more than happy to be able to give something to others. This is my first year participating in the "One World One Heart" yearly event hosted by Lisa Swifka at, A Whimsical Bohemian. Lisa created this event in 2007, with the original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. This enables bloggers to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize along the way.

You can read more about this event and see a list of all the participants here at: One World - One Heart! Go on, be adventurous, check out all of these wonderful bloggers.

To win the prize, all you have to do is leave a comment ON THIS POST only, with your name and link back to your blog or email address and you'll be signed up. Then, your name will be put into the hat for a chance to win. The prize? The lucky winner will receive one of the following:

The second prize is a handmade necklace made with high quality Swarovski crystals, gold filled beads and wire and is 16" long. Please signify which prize you would like to win. If you are new to my blog, welcome, and I hope you come back to visit.

Since this is Super Bowl Sunday and I plan on attending a party in which I will bring at least one appetizer, I have been looking at recipes for hours. I'm trying to come up with something more interesting and healthy than the usual chicken wings, 9-layer bean dip, or nachos. Here are a few of the front runners I am considering:

GREEK NACHOS. A step up from the usual greasy, cheese whizzy, nachos that are prevalent in Los Angeles. This recipe uses pita bread, ground lamb (I would substitute ground chicken or beef) and a feta tahini sauce topped with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. Homemade Hummus. This recipe uses dried chick peas which would be more complicated than using canned, but probably a lot fresher tasting. I love hummus and so does the host of the party, so this will probably win out. If I want something easy to make, but harder on the wallet, I will probably go with my two favorite things, smoked salmon and grilled asparagus. You can never go wrong with a recipe from Giada. Since I am craving salmon for some reason, this salmon spread from David Lebovitz looks good also. It would go well with toasted bagette slices. BALSAMIC BEAN DIP WITH FRESH VEGETABLES. I love the picture of this, but the recipe from Epicurious, looks like it needs some help.

If I have been in denial about having cancer, a bilateral mastectomy was the mother of all wake up calls. I am getting stronger every day, both physically and mentally, but I still have a long road ahead. As the ultimate giver, I am learning how good it feels to receive. The love, concern and nurturing are harmonious with the healing process.

I have been staying at my daughter and son-in-law's house, but tomorrow I go back to my own home, to sleep in my own bed. As hard as this has been for me, I am consumed by sadness for a dear friend of mine, who is going through a traumatic time of her own. Her twenty three year-old daughter, who had a kidney transplant three years ago, is showing signs of rejection. The torture her body is going through right now is much worse than mine, and she has her whole life ahead of her. My daughters used to babysit her and I remember how happy everyone was, when she got the kidney match, after years of trying to find a donor. As a mother, I can imagine the pain her mother is going through. As the saying goes, no matter how bad you have it, there is always someone who is worse off.